Pages

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Doing Unintentional Research

Sometimes through normal conversation you can do a lot of research into subjects that could, at some future time, aid you in your writing. Writers should have a wide range or knowledge on many subjects in order to give each of their tales unique flavor. Speculative fiction writers, who ask and answer theoretical questions through their prose, need to do research, either intentional or unintentional, in order to form their questions.

Recently, I was talking to my uncle who is a civil engineer. It's a field I have minimal exposure to, other than through him. I never talk to him specifically for the research, I just enjoy hearing about his work and so forth. However, at the same time I try to keep some notes in my head of details that could help me write a character who is a civil engineer or write a plot that somehow ties in the field of civil engineering. I got a really interesting idea for a fantasy story this last time I spoke with him, boiling down to a world with a god who acts as a sort of civil engineer with magic, allowing it in certain places at certain strengths or not at all in some places.

Any time you're learning about a topic you aren't overly familiar with you can be performing unintentional research that can benefit your writing. Why not reuse some of the random facts you pick up on day to day? You just might have a story worth of them.

What is Going on Here?

You have journeyed for twelve days and twelve nights across vales, woods, and fells. Your rations have been reduced to crumbs and you had spent your last few mouthfuls of water to wash out a wound on your chest.

As the sun dips below the horizon you enter into the fabled Temple of Halor. A brick falls, missing your head by inches. Your body stiffens. Your breathing soars to a fever pitch. Out of the corner of your eye you see an inky tendril slash through the stale air. You wake up a moment later, flat on your aching back.

Living ropes coil at your head, spine, and calves. You are weightless for a moment before rolling onto a soft, wet pad: Halor's tongue.

You smile. You have entered...into the ravenous maw. If the archdemon Halor shall ever be slain, it shall be now, by you.

Follow Into the Ravenous Maw to vanquish Halor and save all you know and love.

"European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent." So, I guess there are cookies being sent to your computer from my blog. Or something. I'm not precisely sure how I can obtain your consent for this cookie transfer...thing. Umm. Please don't sue me, O Great Europe.

Background Credit

Former background image courtesy of Zachary Shenal. He holds the copyright. You can find his photography here. His website is here. His blog is here. Current background image taken by me.